{"id":139,"date":"2023-04-07T01:00:53","date_gmt":"2023-04-07T06:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/?p=139"},"modified":"2024-02-10T10:23:15","modified_gmt":"2024-02-10T16:23:15","slug":"four-oclock-load-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/four-oclock-load-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Four O’Clock Load-In"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Back alley behind The Throttle Room \u2013 Tulsa, Oklahoma<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The loading dock smelled like stale beer and hot pavement. It was 4:07 PM, and load-in was officially behind schedule\u2014just like always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie leaned against a flight case with a fading “FERAL ECLIPSE \u2013 VOCALS” sticker peeling at the corner. She had one boot braced on the side, arms crossed over her mesh tank top, and eyeliner that somehow hadn\u2019t budged since Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She sipped a half-flat Dr. Pepper and glanced toward the open bay doors. Inside, the unmistakable sound of Thane yelling at a tangled XLR snake echoed through the stage rafters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBet you five bucks he threatens to burn the whole rig by soundcheck,\u201d she said, not looking up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonah, the drummer, perched cross-legged on a bass cab like some ADHD gargoyle, drumming on his knees with two Sharpies. \u201cOh please. He\u2019s already halfway there. I heard him mutter something about \u2018dragging this entire venue to hell by the truss.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie snorted. \u201cYou\u2019d think a werewolf would have more chill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThane?\u201d Rico chimed in, emerging from the trailer with a guitar case over one shoulder and sunglasses on indoors. \u201cDude treats gaff tape like a personal vendetta.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just then, a deep growl of frustration from inside made them all glance toward the doorway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThree… two… one\u2026\u201d Jonah counted down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thane appeared, towering, fur bristled, ice-blue eyes blazing and holding what looked like half a lighting clamp in one clawed hand. \u201cWHO PUT GAFF TAPE ON MY PATCH PANEL?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nobody said anything. From across the dock, Maya didn\u2019t even look up from coiling her own cable. \u201cThat was Mark,\u201d she called dryly. \u201cSaid it looked \u2018emotionally unstable.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rico muttered under his breath, \u201cI mean… he\u2019s not wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just then, Mark himself emerged from the shadows near the lighting rig, eyes half-lidded, carrying a coffee that definitely hadn\u2019t come from a venue-approved source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked at them like they were all a disappointment, and said in a perfectly flat tone, \u201cIf this truss were a person, I\u2019d sue it for incompetence and general malaise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonah whispered to Cassie, \u201cI think that\u2019s the most positive thing he\u2019s said all tour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gabriel chose that moment to leap off the loading ramp, two iced coffees in hand and the biggest grin plastered across his muzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey crew! Guess who charmed the barista into a triple shot for free?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie looked him up and down, still panting slightly from the run, and smirked. \u201cYou or the claws?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cProbably both,\u201d Gabriel replied with a wink, handing one coffee to Thane, who was still radiating unholy rage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maya finally stepped into view, swinging her guitar over one shoulder and cracking her neck like a pro wrestler before a match. \u201cIf we don\u2019t start load-in in the next five minutes, I\u2019m mutinying and running this band myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonah pointed at her with both Sharpies. \u201cHonestly, I\u2019d vote for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou should,\u201d she said. \u201cI have better hair and I don\u2019t yell at cables.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mark raised his mug. \u201cYet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the sun dropped lower behind the grimy rooftops, the band and the wolves\u2014humans and not-so-humans alike\u2014finally got to work, slamming cases into position, tightening bolts, running lines, and muttering half-sentences under their breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the organized chaos of it all, there was a strange rhythm. A weird, dysfunctional family rhythm made of snarls, sarcastic one-liners, and three musicians who had somehow decided that sharing a tour with werewolves was fine.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rico strummed a quick riff on his guitar and muttered, \u201cStill better than my last band. No one\u2019s tried to hex anyone yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cassie shrugged. \u201cYet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And from inside the stage, Thane\u2019s voice rang out again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMark, I SWEAR TO FENRIR if this fog machine tries to kill me again\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonah grinned. \u201cShowtime\u2019s gonna be awesome.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back alley behind The Throttle Room \u2013 Tulsa, Oklahoma The loading dock smelled like stale beer and hot pavement. It was 4:07 PM, and load-in was officially behind schedule\u2014just like always. Cassie leaned against a flight case with a fading “FERAL ECLIPSE \u2013 VOCALS” sticker peeling at the corner. She had one boot braced on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3313,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions\/3313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}